Richard Cottingham: The Torso Killer

Killer Psyche

Wondery | Treefort Media

True Crime, Exhibit C

4.6 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 7 March 2023

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Former FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong delves into Richard Cottingham, the Torso Killer. The notorious serial killer targeted women, mostly sex workers and those working in the adult entertainment industry. He was known for his signature "trophy taking," keeping items belonging to his victims as mementos. His murders were calculated and methodical, and he managed to evade capture for several years. How did he come to be known as the Torso Killer? What can we learn from his troubled childhood?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, Prime Members! You can listen to Killer Sikie add free on Amazon Music. Download the app today!
0:09.0	A listener note, this episode contains adult content and is not suitable for everyone. Please be advised.
0:18.0	The listener note is not suitable for everyone.
0:26.0	18-year-old Leslie O'Dell was in trouble and she desperately wanted to go home.
0:33.0	The Washington State native had left to follow her boyfriend across the country, but by the time the couple arrived in Maine, their relationship was over.
0:44.0	She boarded a bus heading home, but instead decided to get off in New York City.
0:51.0	Without friends around and with very little money, Leslie immediately attracted the attention of the predators who hung out in the bus station, waiting for young people to prey on.
1:05.0	Within hours of her arrival, Leslie was trafficked as a sex worker by one of the men who spotted her.
1:13.0	Four days later, on May 22, 1980, Leslie thought her luck had finally changed.
1:21.0	Around 1am that morning, a man picked her up and agreed to pay her $100 an hour for her services.
1:31.0	He showed her a large bundle of cash claiming he had just won it at the casinos.
1:38.0	He took her for drinks and listened while Leslie told him her story.
1:42.0	The man sympathized with her and offered to help her get home.
1:46.0	He bought her dinner and told her he would take her to the bus station and pay for her fair home.
1:53.0	Relieved, Leslie told the man how nice it was to finally find someone willing to help her.
2:00.0	To which the man replied, you'll do anything when it comes down to life and death situations.
2:08.0	To Leslie, the man was going to be her savior, but the rest of the world did not see him that way.
2:16.0	That man, Richard Coddingham, was known by many names, including the New York Ripper, the Times Square Killer, and the Torsow Killer.
2:30.0	And just a few hours later, Leslie O'Dell found out just how true her so-called savior's words really were.
2:43.0	Hi, I'm Sarah Haggie, co-host of Wonderree's podcast Scample Insers.
2:46.0	In our recent two-part series, Three Weddings and a Funeral, we dive into the story of a German con man who built an entire life on fake names, lies, and schemes.
2:55.0	And the unlikely true-kind twist that brought this decades-long charade crashing down.
	...

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